Bishop Lamor Whitehead made headlines when three armed robbers barged into his Brooklyn, NY church during a live-streamed service. The trio reportedly stripped the bishop and his wife of over one million dollars’ worth of jewelry.
But since the story broke, Bishop Whitehead’s legal issues — past and present — have surfaced leading many to wonder how he can afford over a million dollars worth of jewelry.
And was he in on the heist? In a TSR Investigates exclusive Bishop Whitehead is speaking out to set the record straight.
“We could have been killed, and now everyone wants to talk about what I wear, what I drive…” Whitehead told The Shade Room’s Justin Carter.
The man of God was in the middle of his sermon at the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in Canarsie around 11:14 a.m. on July 24, when the incident happened, police said.
In a now-viral video, three armed men can be seen seen stripping Whitehead and his wife of their jewelry after entering the church during the livestream service.
The New York Post reports that the robbers hit the jacket with Whitehead and stole a $75,000 Rolex watch, a $75,000 Cavalier watch, a $25,000 Episcopal ruby and diamond ring, a $25,000 Episcopal diamond ring, a $25,000 pair of earrings, a $20,000 diamond and emerald cross, a $20,000 Episcopal ring, a $20,000 Episcopal cross and a $10,000 Episcopal gold cross.
Whitehead told The Shade Room that one of the men pointed a gun at his wife and eight-month-old child.
Police say they are zeroing in on the three suspects, who took off in a white Mercedes, however no arrests have been made as of Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Bishop Whitehead maintains he had nothing to do with the heist, of which many on social media have called a possible inside job.
“I was just caught off guard, like ‘wow, is this happening?'” he said. “I really don’t know (who the robbers are)” he added when asked if they could be members of his congregation. “At the end of the day, whoever it was, they was disrespectful. They violated on every level.”
Whitehead, who was ordained in 2016 and is known to be close with the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, has since earned a reputation of flashy opulence over the years. He drives a pricey Rolls Royce, and can often be see on church service livestreams wearing Gucci suits, designed sweaters and glasses.
However, Whitehead dismissed critics of his ostentatious lifestyle, and added that what he wears “should not overshadow what happened.”
“What I wear should not overshadow what happened. I like nice things, is it illegal to like nice things?” Whitehead told TSR Investigates.
When asked where he gets all of his money from, he said he is not staff at the church, but he does own “a lot of companies,” specializing in real estate investments.
He balked at the idea that just because he has money, he has to be taking it from the church.
“Why can’t I have an entrepreneurs heart?” he added.
Whitehead says that the media has since made him out to be the bad guy, however an incident that occurred following the armed robbery has since raised eyebrows on the Bishop’s character.
During a livestream interview with YouTuber Larry Reid, Whitehead could be heard using derogatory words towards homosexuals while saying “kiss my a**” during the segment, where he was confronted with the possibility that he may have had some hand in last month’s viral robbery, The Shade Room reported.
For his part, Whitehead said “these bloggers” were not a household name before they started talking about him. He added that the media has painted him in a way that he cannot be trusted after reporting that he was sued by a congregant last year.
The Shade Room had previously reported that one of Bishop Lamor Whitehead’s congregants filed a lawsuit in 2021, saying Lamor swindled her out of $90,000. Pauline Anderson accused the flashy bishop of convincing her to liquidate her savings in November 2020 after Bishop Whitehead allegedly promised to buy and renovate a home for the 56-year-old, per the Brooklyn Supreme Court lawsuit.
Whitehead said that “just because it’s a claim, doesn’t mean I did it.”
Meanwhile, at a press conference late last month, Whitehead also addressed campaign finance records that NBC News uncovered, showing that he failed to repay an individual campaign loan to one woman worth $150,000, calling the claims “inaccurate.”
Whitehead concluded with an open-ended request from “the powers that be” to pass a law allowing clergyman like himself to have a pistol permit to protect houses of worship.
He said that he will be adding better security at the church following the robbery, but that he isn’t going to be scared and that he will continue to live his life and wear chains and flashy jewelry.
An investigation into the robbery is ongoing, according to police.
